Of Cats and Countries
by bookSmartCat
Summary: An AU of Journy of Paw Steps. After a series of earthquakes devistate the US, the main countries visit to comfort the suffering America. And one by one, they find themselves in an unasuming shelter, in which they find cats whom share their names. As each country adopts their feline namesake, their lives are turned rather hectic through a variety of kitty hijinks.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

The door slammed shut after Italy as he ran into the animal shelter. The country frustratedly shook water from his hair and clothing as he stared in disbelief at the pouring rain outside. It had been sunny out only half an hour earlier, and now thick droplets fell from the dark grey clouds in a relentless torrent. Italy sighed slightly, desperately wishing that this wouldn't hinder his trip to America. It had been a long time since he had visited the rambunctious country, and after the surprisingly huge spikes in earthquakes in the Midwest, Italy wished to show his support.

He had been walking through one of the worst effected towns in the area. The amount of pure destruction left Italy feeling very small and distraught, with not much of an idea as for what to do. It was a rather unsettling sight that left Italy with the desire to run away from this place and back to somewhere no one was suffering, or sitting homeless on the street. But the nation had steeled his nerves. Germany was always yelling at him to be braver, and now seemed as good a time as any to start trying.

But now he was stuck inside a stuffy shelter, unable to leave due to the storm. Thinking for a moment, Italy pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed his brother. Romano had insisted he tag along, not wanting Italy to be walking around in a strange country alone. However, with a little convincing, Romano had allowed him to walk off on his own, as long as he stayed in the town. Romano currently had the car, and was probably waiting inside wondering where he was. His brother was just his ticked out of there. Italy was so emotionally warn from today, he wanted nothing more than to head back to the hotel for the day.

After a short conversation, mostly yelling from Romano about how only a brain dead idiot gets caught out in a storm like this, and he should have paid more attention to the clouds, Italy hung up, satisfied that Romano was on his way. The Italian looked up to at last take in his surroundings.

He was standing within the middle of the stone tiled lobby, an impressive marble counter top at the far side acting as a front desk. A woman in a lab coat with her blond hair pulled back in a bun tapped quickly at a computer keyboard. He nervously approached the lady at the counter.

"E-excuse me?" he stuttered slightly. The lady looked up with a friendly smile.

"Hello, sir. Are you here to adopt a pet today?"

"O-oh, no." he waved his hands quickly, dismissing the idea. "I was just wondering if you maybe had a towel in the back I could borrow. I got stuck in the rain, and I'm absolutely soaked."

Her expression was tender and concerned. This was definitely a woman who had spent most of her life caring for animals.

"Sure. Hold on a moment." She disappeared into the back and returned with a fluffy, white piece of cloth.

Italy expressed his thanks as he shuffled the towel across his wet locks.

"If you like, you can leave your coat to dry on the coat rack."

"Oh, thank you!" He removed the outer jacket, which stuck to his body due to the rain, and left it on the top peg. Italy then moved to sit on one of the waiting chairs, feet tapping impatiently on the ground as he waited for Romano to pull up.

After a few minutes of silence, the lady looked up once more from her work.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Oh, sí. My brother is coming to get me with the car."

"Ah. To be honest, I was hoping you were a customer. After the earthquake, so many animals were displaced that the shelter is almost at full capacity. If we don't get some of them out the door soon, we may have to go against policy and start putting some down. We don't have the budget for this." She remarked sadly.

Feliciano felt a pit open in his stomach.

"Aww, poor animals." As much as he wished he could help, he knew the last thing Romano wanted in the house was a pet, and Germany had enough dogs already. He would never agree to more.

"Would you like to look at them anyways? I'm sure they could use some human interaction outside of myself."

"Oh, do you have cats here?"

"Why yes, we do."

"Oh! I would love to looks at some please!"

She chuckled at his childish glee.

"This way, then."

Italy's eyes opened in a mixture of joy and pity. All the cages where filled with cats! From full grown adults to little kittens, all types of breads, mixtures, patterns and colors, it looked as if every cat you could think of was in here. And yet that was also the problem. Each cage was at max capacity, and according to the lady, more just kept arriving, very few leaving. It seemed that after the earthquake, no one cared about their cats anymore. And that just made him want to pick them all up and take them home! But he had to limit himself to petting only.

Italy made his way around the room, taking a variety of cats out to hold as he ran his hands up and down their spines. The beautiful felines arched their backs and purred pleasantly at his touch. Apparently they were sick of being in here, too, and where perhaps hoping he would think they were cute enough to take home. As much as he wanted to, Italy put each one back in their cage with a few gentle words.

"I'm sorry, kitties. I'm sure someone will come for you soon."

The blond lady from the front desk was also going around from cage to cage, checking each cat had food, water, and where in good health. A sick cat never got adopted.

As he moved to the next one, Italy found a cage that was suspiciously quiet. From what he could see, there was only one cat inside, as it was curled up tight in a ball, most likely sleeping. As he approached, the cat's ears twitched and it rose up from its curled position, turning a sleepy gaze his way.

Italy's eye widened in surprise. This was a very beautiful cat. He was a even brown color, with a dark drizzle patch along his spine. The cat's face, and paws were covered in white and despite the large difference in colors, his pelt blended and mixed wonderfully, no spot looking out of place on the feline. But what really caught his attention where the eyes. A deep honey color, they were warm and friendly, and spoke to him in a profound way that he could not place, as if he and the cat shared a deep connection he didn't remember. Opening the cage, he bent slightly so that he was at eye level with it.

"I see you've taken a liking to this one." The lady commented from behind Italy.

"Yes, he's very pretty."

She murmured in agreement.

"He's the quietest one here. Sleeps most of the day and eats whatever I give him without complaint. Feliciano's one of the best cats I've had here."

Italy stiffened.

"What did you call him?"

"Oh, Feliciano. That's his name. We found it on his tag. Unfortunately the couple that owned him passed in the earthquake. It's a surprising name, I know. Someone giving their cat an Italian name? In America? That's pretty rare."

But Italy was barely listening anymore. The country was stiff with shock and disbelief. This cat shared his name! Well, his human name, at least. They were names rarely shared and only used when trying to blend in with society, but each country felt a connection to their names. They were proof that they were more than just the embodiment of their countries, but their own person as well, with a unique personality and dreams and ideas. It was like the only piece of unique identity they had.

Italy had never thought about what would happen if he met someone who shared his name. He figured it was normal enough to encounter someone with your name once or twice, though that had not happened yet, but a cat? This was too weird. An odd connection and a shared name…

Italy reached in to pick up the sleepy feline, but a flash of claws racking across his hand stopped him. The Italian cried in pain slightly and jumped back. A new cat was standing over Feliciano. It was much tanner than the other, and had dark spots arranged in a Siamese like pattern across its face, paws, and tail. Its lips were drawn back in a snarl, hissing viciously at Italy as he stood over the other cat, who was more alert now than he had been a little while ago.

"Bad cat!" The lady scolded and batted the new one away slightly, closing the door.

She walked over to Italy and examined the small cut on his hand.

"I'm sorry about that. He's usually like this."

"It's no big deal. Who was that?"

"That was Lovino, Feliciano's brother."

Italy was in shock once more.

"What?"

"Yes, we found them out on the streets together. It's very strange. So rarely do you see families of cats stick together like this, but there they were. Lovino has always been protective of his brother, hissing at anyone who tried to pick him up. That's one of the reasons neither have been adopted."

She sighed in frustration.

"I wish I could tell him that acting like this is only keeping them both from living a happy and comfortable life! If this keeps up, they might have to be the first to go…"

Italy's breath caught in his throat. There was no way he could let that happen now. A cat with his name, a brother with his brother's own? This was remarkable! Nothing short of a miracle! Italy tightened his grip around his shirt hem in nervousness. Romano was going to kill him later, but he knew what he had to do.

Romano pulled up outside the local animal shelter, rain still going full force around him.

"Gah. Fucking shit storm!" he cussed has his face was assaulted with buckets of water the moment he stepped from the car.

He walked towards the front door, cursing out his brother for getting stuck, the traffic lights for stopping him each time on his way there, all the way up to God for allowing it to rain this hard today. Needless to say, the Italian was pissed.

He stepped through the front door, ringing water from his hair and jacket.

"Hey, brother. You in here? Let's get a move on-"

Romano stopped short as he came face to face with Italy, smiling nervously and holding two cats in his arms.

"No." Romano replied sternly before Italy could open his mouth.

"Oh, brother! Come on!"

"No, no no! We talked about this already! No animals, no pets, no nothing in our house!"

"But-!"

"No buts! I can't believe you went and did this behind my back! You know how much I hate pets! They're cute and all at first, but they ruin the furniture, shed everywhere, and make messes where ever they go. This is the last time I let you wander off on your own-"

"Brother." Italy pleaded. "Please, listen for just a moment."

He lifted one of the cats in his arms.

"This one is named Feliciano." He held the other out to Romano, dropping it in his grasp.

"And this is his brother, Lovino."

Now Romano was staring eyes wide, jaw open at the feline in front of him. It was giving him a rather stern, angry look. Face determined and angry, seemingly just as pissed as him. Grabbing his brother close, Romano quieted his voice to a whisper.

"You found cats with our names?"

"Yeah!" Italy was also managing a whisper. "Isn't it great? And they're just like us, too! Look, Feliciano is all sleepy, and almost looks like he's smiling!"

He lifted the cat towards Romano's face. He did seem rather calm and peaceful, with dropping eyes and lazy whiskers.

"And Lovino is kind of like you! All angry and grouchy looking. And very protective of Feliciano!"

Romano returned his gaze to the tan tomcat in his arms. It was still giving him that stern and displeased look. Romano sighed again.

"Shared names or not, we can't take them."

"But Romano! If they don't get adopted soon, Rebecca says they'll be put down."

"Wait, who's Rebecca?"

"The nice lady at the front desk."

Romano felt a hole unexpectedly open in his gut at the thought of the cats being put down. Oddly enough, he did feel a strange sense of companionship towards the felines, as if they truly were echoes of themselves, and losing them would be like losing a piece of who they were.

"Okay." Romano spoke in a defeated tone. "We'll take them."

Italy squealed in joy, hugging Feliciano tightly to his chest.

"Now, let's get out of here." Romano remarked cynically. "Before this rain drowns out the place."

The Italian brothers ran out to the car, with Italy singing calmly as he stroked and come his namesake cat as they drove back to the hotel.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

America trudged slowly down the street, head bent and hands jammed firmly into his pockets. The forlorn country continued aimlessly on, oblivious to the pelting rain that drenched his blond hair and fogged his glasses. The torrential downpour around him couldn't break through the muddled confusion that filled his mind.

America had had many, many bad earthquakes before. They had shaken some parts of his country to their roots and left him with headaches which kept him screaming well into the night. The ones that had sprouted up in the Midwest were nowhere close to the many that still persisted in California, but so many had cropped up with such little time in between that the country had been left with dizzying nausea for well over a week now. And with all the built up turmoil caused by the aftermath, his vision continued to swim and blur, balance constantly off with many trips and falls resulting.

Currently, the nation had stopped by to check up on one of the worst affected towns, as he had been since the quakes started. Working through his afflictions, America cooperated with town and city officials to organized rescue groups and relief efforts, all very standard procedure. But as the spinning in his stomach became harder and harder to ignore, he had excused himself from the Mayor's office to get back to the hotel.

He struggled onward in a dizzying stupor until a sudden blast of cold rain broke through his distraction. Shivering at the realization that he was soaked to the bone, America quickly whipped his head around in search of a spot to take refuge. The pet shelter was one of the few places still standing, and still open. So he ducked inside without a second thought.

"Brrrrrr." America muttered to himself as he stood shivering on the welcome mat for a moment.

The blond haired receptionist glanced up from a magazine she was reading and gave him a nod in welcome.

"Hello, sir. Can I interest you in adopting an animal today?"

America shook his head slightly, chasing nausea from the rims of his vision.

"No thanks." He commented lightly, trying to keep his usual confidence up. "I just came in to wait out the storm."

The receptionist chuckled.

"You're not the only one who has. Feel free to sit in the chairs, and you're welcome to visit the animals if you would like too."

The young country thought for a moment. The storm was still going strong, so it would most likely be a while before it calmed down enough for him to walk home. And a few furry animals might be the perfect distraction from what ails him.

"Sure!" he belted, familiar loudness returning to his voice.

The receptionist winced slightly, twisting a finger inside her ear.

"The doors to the kennels are in the hall down your right. Though I must ask you to keep it down. Some of them can be a bit jumpy around loud noises."

America chuckled, dropping the volume in his voice. "Alright. Thanks." He started to walk off before turning back to her slightly.

"What's your name, by the way?"

"It's Rebecca."

"Rebecca. Cool! Thanks again, bra!"

She winced again at the loudness of his voice, reminding him once more to be quiet as he rounded the hall and vanished from sight.

America strolled casually down the lengthy hallway. Dozens of doors lined the walls, a variety of animal noises drifting from behind each one. As he continued jauntily onward, blue eyes scanned the tags on the doors as he passed. Rabbits, birds, rodents. The country stopped short, leg frozen in mid step. His eyes were trained curiously on one of the doors, an odd tugging sensation stirring deep in his gut and dragging all of his attention towards it. His eyes drifted over the name of what species was held inside; cats.

Cats? Why was he feeling so interested in cats? Sure, the fuzz balls were cute and fluffy, and always spread warm feelings through his stomach, but in the end, he was a dog person through and through. You could do so much more with a dog than a cat. They were loyal, playful, followed you around and listened to what you told them, and where by far the strongest pet you could ask for. You could play with a dog. Cats just kind of sit there.

And yet, some kind of feeling churned within his being, freezing his limbs and keeping his eyes trained on the rectangular slab of metal. The world around him went out of focus for a moment, till it was only him and the door, and the sensation grew stronger still. It was as if something important to him was locked behind the door, something he had lost, and needed to reconnect with again. But what?

The sensation was so unusual and foreign to his mind, that an unable consciousness dismissed it, choosing instead to convince himself that he just felt like checking out the cats today. The blond smiled as he placed his hand on the door knob. After all, cute and fuzzy was just what he needed right now.

A wall of mews and cries assaulted the young country's ears as he stepped into the crowded room. The place was wall to wall cages, with almost each one stuffed with felines. America twisted a finger in his ear, cleaning it after the sudden impact of sound.

"Geez. These cats are not happy, that's for sure."

Shrugging, he stepped into the room and began scanning the cages as he walked down the rows.

"Daaaaaw!" he let slip in a moment of weakness as he opened a door to stroke a gray kitten on the cheek.

"You guys 're soooo cute!" he squealed a bit at the end, clamping his mouth shut in realization at the sudden girl he had turned into. "But don't tell anyone I think that! France and England 'll never let me live it down."

The kitten purred at his rhythmic movements. America fell into a moment of weakness again.

"No they won't!" he commented in baby-talk. "No they won't littl' kittay."

A sharp mew from just below startled America out of his cute induced reverie. Switching his attention to the cage a few rows under the one he was crouched by, a fuzzy face peaked out from the darkness at him. The kitten mewed again, and America dropped to his knees to get a closer look.

To his surprise, large blue eyes stared sharply back at him, as a ginger spotted cream kit pawed slightly at the bars, as if trying to get out. That same twinge pinched in the bits of America's stomach once more, and he placed a hand over the affected spot.

_What's wrong with me today? Is it another side effect of the earthquakes? But I've never felt like this during any of the other times… Did I eat something weird? I don't think I did- Wait… Wait… Was it the blowfish?!_

The nation's panic over what poison Japan had convinced him into eating faded from thought as the kit mewed again, looking pleadingly towards him, like he was begging to get out. America sighed in worry. He did look very sad…

Giving in to impulse, he unlocked the door and scooped the kit up in his arms, only for razor sharp claws to snag a bit on his sleeve, giving America a scare. The blond country yelped and fell backwards, the kitten still clutched in his arms. The black, plastic bars slammed closed in the hissing face of an older orange tom. Green eyes glared daggers towards America, and he cringed slightly at the cat's fury. Bright ginger fur lifted angrily, tail lashing as the tom growled out a warning.

America shifted closer, intrigued once more. The tom hissed again and backed farther into the cage, lashing out at the large man while retreating in fear. A whimper sounded from the cage's corner, just beyond the tom's bushed out tail. Looking closer, America saw a bundle of cream colored fur, similar to that on the kit he held onto now. A small face peered back at him, bright violet eyes widened in fright. The tom jumped forward again and blocked his view, forcing him to back off. He was clearly uncomfortable with his close proximity. The kitten clutched in his arms mewed in protest.

"What's your problem, anyways?" he chastised the feline.

"I wonder myself sometimes."

"AH!" America screamed, jumping up in surprise, only to find none other than Rebecca standing behind him.

"Oh, sorry!" she hurriedly apologized. "I hadn't realized you didn't hear me come in."

"Well, it's alright!" he shrugged it off. "Didn't scare me! Ha ha!"

"Yeah, sure." She remarked, still sure she had heard the man yelp. The vet noticed the ginger patched kit snuggled in his grip.

"Aw!" she mewed, reaching out a hand to stroke his fluffy head.

"Yeah, this little guy caught my attention. Almost like he was calling for me. Opened the cage, little dude crawled right out!"

"Oh, he's such a sweetie pie. Warms to anyone." She scooped the ginger patched kit into her arms.

"Hey, Alfie!"

America froze, expression neutral as he processed what she had said.

"Wait, what did you call him?"

"Alfie. That's just his nickname, though. His full name is Alfred."

A rock formed in the bottom of his gut._ Alfred… That's my name!_ He cried internally.

The young nation locked eyes with the kit once more. They shared a name? What where the chances of that? But America felt a strange premonition creeping up his spine. There was something more to this kitten… It was as if they were… connected in a way he could not fully explain. He felt the rising need to take Alfred back, to hold him close to his person, like a beloved air loom he could not bear to lose.

A low growl drew their attention back to the cage Alfred had come from. The frustrated orange tom was pressed against the front of the cage, eyeing them both and hissing in outrage.

"Oh, Arthur, clam up why don't you?"

"Wait, did you say Arthur?"

"Yes, he's the orange one. We found him out on the road with Alfred and another kit, Matthew. We're not sure of their connection, though. They could be brothers, or he could be their dad."

But America had zoned after the revelation. The big tom was named Arthur, possibly Alfred's brother, and he bet all the cash in his wallet that the cream kit still in the cage was Matthew. This was too weird… cats that shared names with his brothers? Crammed together in a cage? Found together on the road with Arthur caring for them? What kind of madness was this? This was even weirder than a science fiction novel, and he had read plenty of those.

The blonde nation crouched before the spitting feline once more.

"Arthur…? Matthew…?"

He and the orange tom exchanged a look, America leaning close, before he jumped to life again, swiping at the country's nose. America rubbed his nose in annoyance as Rebecca reprimanded Arthur once more. He sat at the front of the cage, still rubbing Alfred, who mewed towards him, as if asking what he was thinking about.

There was this weird feeling that America just couldn't shake. A wriggling sensation in the deepest part of his stomach that made him antsy, nervous, but also a little bit excited. There was something going on here, there was a connection between him and these cats, and perhaps it involved his brothers as well. He had never been one to believe in divine intervention, but maybe some all mighty power had dropped the felines into his lap. No matter what was going on, America knew what he was going to do.

"How much for adoption?"

America pelted down the street, still wet with rain and covered in puddles, but dryer now that the rain had stopped. Over his shoulder, he carried three cat crates stacked like a pyramid above his head, using his super human strength to keep them upright. The felines within were jostled and shook as the man's body weight shifted below them. They howled with fear, fur fluffed to twice their size, though America remained oblivious. The young nation currently had a cell phone pressed to his other year.

"DUDE, CANADA!" he screamed into the speaker. "Oh, sorry, bro, inside voice. Got it. But hey, moving on, how fast to you think you can get over to my place? Why?" he chuckled to himself. "I've got something amazing to show you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Italy sat impatiently at the circular table where the world meetings were held. Hands clasped firmly in his lap, thumbs idly tapping together, feet shifting nervously across the soft carped underneath him. Everything about the rigged country screamed to all who saw that something was up, that he was hiding something. A furry something, specifically, which now crawled back and forth under his jacket. Light, fluffy paws tickled across his chest as Feliciano turned around under the stuffy layer of fabric. He had to have been in there for half an hour at the most, and was yearning for fresh air and freedom.

With every step, Feliciano giggled at the feline's feathery touch. The Italian clamped his mouth shut, struggling to contain the humor that welled in his being at both the fuzzy beast crawling around on his chest, and at the thought of trying to hide it from the others. Every moment he was worried someone would notice and ask what was wrong, but they were all so preoccupied that his strangeness was left by the wayside.

All around the table, the other personifications battered and argued with harsh words and stinging tongues. The meeting room was lively today, most of the countries were alert, aside from Greece who could sleep through a hurricane, as the world powers engaged in battles over economy, exports; things of that nature. Such topics were naturally boring to Italy. They just complicated the world and distracted from the simple solution he saw every day. If everyone just calmed down, took up an art to express themselves, made themselves a plate of pasta, all this crazy could be avoided. No one would need or even want to fight or argue, everyone could be friends, equals, but this was not the way things were.

Feliciano shifted again, distracting him from his thoughts as a laugh partly escaped his notice. The worried country bit down hard, slightly marring his tongue. This caught the attention of one of the countries sitting across from him, Spain. His gaze shifted towards Italy's rather uncomfortable face, and felt worry for the small Italian.

"You alright, Italy?" he remarked.

Italy flinched and broke out into a cold sweat. His brother, who was sitting to Spain's right, was drawn into the conversation.

"You don't look too good, brother."

Italy gulped. He was counting on inconspicuousness to avert attention. Now he was being confronted on both sides. Curses! How could he have considered getting away with this? He was no Canada! But… when Feliciano looked at him with those huge, honey eyes as he stepped out the door, he felt this anxiety about leaving the cat alone, even for a few hours in the safety of his house. So with barely a thought, Italy shoved the cat down his shirt and ran out the door, avoiding question from his brother. He struggled to open his mouth without letting giggles flee from the cavern.

"O-oh, yeah, of course- he he-! I'm good, I'm good, I'm- he he!-good." Italy was still sweeting profusely at this point.

"Are you sure?" Romano asked with a wary look.

Another tingle shot down Italy's spine as Feliciano pawed at his chest once more. This cat was going to get him killed for sure! Everyone knew animals were strictly off limits in the conference room, enforced by Germany himself. And Italy was not getting in trouble with his best friend! …again. Thinking quickly, Italy stood from his chair, drawing attention from a few others around the room, Germany included.

"Actually, I think I have to run to the bathroom. Excuse me!" with a rushed execution he sped quickly out of the meeting room and down the hall. Making a quick turn he found himself at a side door that led to the yard outside the building.

Hurriedly, Italy zipped open the front of his shirt, pulling buttons aside in panic. In a burst of fur and claws, Feliciano sprang forth with a yowl, landing neatly on all fours before tearing off around the field, appreciating the clean air and grass.

The Italian nation stood with his hands on his knees, panting in relief after spending so long with tickles running up and down his stomach, watching Feliciano romp around in the yard. The feline slowed to a trot, eyes gazing wide at the greenery around him. Eventually becoming distracted by something moving on the grass, the brown tom chased whatever it was round the field until his attention flickered to his tail waiving eloquently behind him, which he then chased into a dizzying circle, falling in a heap once tired.

Italy couldn't help but laugh at his antics. His day was brightened anytime he set gaze on his beloved cat. In just a few short months, their bond had grown exponentially into something distinctly warm and fuzzy. Italy had always dreamed of having a real pet of his own, but he hardly thought it would be like this. He could hardly bare to be without the little fuzz ball! It was the whole reason they were there in the first place. And now he stood in the evening sun, watching the cat chase his own shadow, all qualms about the world or worries of what to do next being swatted from his mind by furry white paws.

"ITALY! What are you doing?!"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" the frightened Italian shot ten feet into the air before rounding on the one who suck up on him, which happened to be his brother.

"R-Romano!" Italy stuttered. Busted.

"You brought Feliciano with you to the meeting?! The fucking _world meeting?!_"

Italy gulped worriedly, legs shaking slightly at the fury of his voice.

"And to think I followed you out here because I was worried you were sick or something! Honestly, what were you thinking."

"I-I'm sorry, Romano. It's just he was looking at me with those eyes, and he looked so sad and bored, and I didn't think it would hurt anyone…"

Romano sighed in slight irritation, but his expression softened a bit. He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Listen, the other countries in here are distracted enough. Including yourself, I might add! A cute fluffy animal will do no help for getting things done. Not to mention, I know a few who are not big fans of animals. How would they react? You need to think before doing things like this."

Italy nodded solemnly at the lecture. Meanwhile, a certain feline was studying a flittering butterfly with rapt attention. His large brown eyes followed it's every movement, tail flicking in interest. The loud voices of his owner and that other Nofur faded into the background as he stalked his prey, walking past them on a trail after the butterfly, coming back to the wooden porch they had exited the den from.

Scrunching his body low, his gaze trained on the yellow bug flexing its wings on the door, Feliciano shifted his weight and pounced; just as the door began to open.

"GAH!"

A loud shout and a sudden _wham_ caught the attention of the Italian brothers. They turned to see, much to their surprise, a heavy set body lying flat on his back with Feliciano perched on his chest, making small noises in curiosity as he sat on whatever he had "caught."

_Uh oh._ Italy began to sweat slightly. Could this get any worse?

The cat's victim groaned, and lifted his head slightly, blue eyes widening at the sight of what was sitting above him.

"Oh, boy…" Romano muttered.

"What is this?!"

Germany leapt swiftly to his feet, towering over the two Italians while griping Feliciano by the scruff; though the cat seemed oddly undisturbed by the sudden man-handling. Italy shrank slightly, trying to hid embarrassment. Romano moved forward towards the frustrated German.

"If I'm not mistaken, potato-eater, that's a _cat_… if you can't see."

Germany's eye twitched, but he calmed himself.

"I am aware of what it is, it's how it got here that I want explained."

Romano strived to cover for his brother.

"Listen, it-"

"It was me…" a quiet voice interrupted.

Germany peaked over Romano's shoulder, and the older brother moved reluctantly aside.

"You, Italy?"

"Yeah. The cat's mine."

Germany looked skeptical.

"When did you get a cat?"

"It was a few days ago…" he trailed off, not sure if he should say any more.

"Gah. I'm very disappointed in you, Italy." Germany switched to his stern voice. "You know the rules about bringing animals to the meetings!"

Italy kept his gaze down, not wanting to meet his friend's gaze. Feliciano, still held tight in Germany's grip, swished his head from his owner, to this strange, blonde, mad Nofur who had his hand around his scruff. His owner seemed to be cowering, and from the way the other Nofur was speaking to him… it almost seemed like an insult. A fire burned in Feliciano's stomach. A kind of indignant rage that he had never experienced. With a well-aimed swipe, he interrupted Germany's speech as he clawed across the man's wrist.

"Gah!"

Germany cringed and dropped the cat, clutching his wrist. Feliciano ran towards Italy's feet, crouching low and growling out a warning to Germany. Romano had jumped back as soon as the cat's claws had swiped across Germany's skin; eyes wide and astounded at the sight before him. Germany was just as surprised and slightly confused at what was going on in front of him.

Italy gasped at the sight of the red line across Germany's wrist. Feliciano continued to spit and hiss. Reaching down, Italy picked the cat up in an attempt to calm him.

"Feliciano! What's wrong with you?!"

"Heh. Looks like he's protecting you." His brother chuckled.

The cat hissed again, snapping towards Germany once more, though the hardened man didn't flinch. He sighed slowly, letting his hands fall as he turned back to them. At this point, Italy had gotten Feliciano to stop spitting, but the feline was still sending death glares at the German man. Germany turned to speak again, his tone more gentle this time, though he had never really been angry in the first place.

"Italy… I think you'll have to take him back home."

"What?! No!"

"Don't worry, I'll keep the meeting on break while you're gone. We can resume when you get back."

"But I don't want to send him home! He'll be lonely, and bored, and scared, and what if someone breaks in?! What if dogs attack?! I can't leave him there!"

"Italy, Italy!" He tried to calm his panicking friend in an effort to explain he was thinking in worst case and unrealistic scenarios.

Romano chuckled again from off to the side, where he had been watching the whole thing.

"You'd better let it go. I tried to talk him out of it earlier, but he really loves that cat. It's like they've got something in common."

Germany turned to look at Italy again. Both the Italian and his cat were stairing expectantly up at him with huge eyes. The German began to sweat. Their large, sparkling eyes had too much charm to resist!

_Mein gott… they're adorable._

"Huff… Alright, he can stay."

"Yaaaaaay!" Italy swung Feliciano up in the air. Though the cat had no idea what was going on, it seemed happy, so he joined his owner in yowling with joy.

"What about keeping him hidden?" Romano asked.

"Not much point if you ask me. They'd find out anyway, soon enough. And it's not like we get much done anyway. I doubt it'll make much of a difference."

The trio turned, Italy with cat in hand, and trudged back to the doorway, so they could return to the meeting room. Germany fell in step with Italy.

"So, Italy. What's his name again?"

"Feliciano."

"So… you named your cat after yourself?"

"Oh no, no, no, Germany. I found him in a shelter on my trip to America. He came with that name, actually."

"Came… with your name?" He was astounded.

"I know! Crazy coincidence. I'm not sure why I adopted him… I just felt like we had a connection, you know?"

Germany looked towards the brown tom in his arms. There was something about the shape of his face, and the look in his eyes that seemed very… Italy. He rubbed his chin with a finger, clearly intrigued.

_I wonder if there are any other surprises at this shelter…  
-_

_If anyone wants to read more country cat adventures, check out the story these cats came from; A Journey of Pawsteps._


End file.
